Achievement
by seinooo.kcvii
Summary: ...where they try to entertain themselves. For The Sacred and Profane.


For The Sacred and Profane. :)

_Achievement_

I own nothing and no one. Look at the scroll button. Tiny, 'innit? xD Start swearing.

* * *

"I hate you."

Tifa Lockhart wiped away her tears shakily as she spoke in a dangerously low voice.

That was more than enough to kill him. Those three words that found their way out of her pretty lips with ease stabbed him directly in the heart. It was one of the 'let's-make-Tifa-scream-and-she'll-hug-you-senseless-in-the-end' times. It was one of his daily necessities. It was fun. It had risks running high – and usually he never cared.

But now he did care.

Tifa was seething and hissing her breaths, anger evident in her eyes. Normally, he would commit the sight before him into memory but now, the thing that Reno tried to do was swallow the bile taste of extreme guilt under her smoldering glare.

Guilt.

That was something he had always blocked during his assassination missions, something he never should worry about and that something was seeping out from his core now. Cautiously, he reached out to her quavering shoulder but she swatted his hand away and stomped her way up, leaving him with a quizzical face. He never liked anyone ignoring him – especially Tifa.

"Alright. That's it, Reno," he told himself as his brains raked for something to do, to make up to her with – in determination and mirth of what he had planned.

- - -

Tifa had curled up under the covers alone. "What is up with him?" she muttered. Earlier, she was reading a novel and had sensed Reno creeping behind her. What she had not expected was a plain enormous spider landing onto her lap and in a mixture of shock and rage, she leapt – yelping and slamming her novel onto the spider, only to find it to be an unmoving, toy spider.

Reno had laughed at her flustered face and instantly she knew it was him. Having her patience lessened (for she was getting to the best part of the book), she spat those bitter words.

Hate. She would _never_ … but Reno knew which buttons to push, and whether he was aware or not of it, it was getting on her nerves. He should know – no. He _knew_ her archenemies were always spiders or anything similar. She loathed them, feared them, traumatized even. She could never fathom how and why someone, _anyone_, was able to hold them – let alone _touch_.

During her current contemplation in the dimly lit bedroom, she heard a faint clicking of the shutting door and some soft shuffling before the small orange glow somewhere died. The other side of the bed sank and remained unmoved. Tifa waited. And waited. Waited. From her end of the bed, seething.

Tifa turned around to face him, who was a good distance away from her. "Reno," she whispered. Silence answered her.

"Reno," she prompted again. _He's asleep, huh?_ Tifa frowned and threw a pillow at him that it bounced off and rolled down to the floor.

Reno blinked his eyes open. After staying still, her breaths began to even and from where Reno was lying, he could only assume that Tifa was already asleep. He picked up the fallen pillow and returned it to her side.

"Commencing," he grinned in the darkness. Boredom, if possible, would be turned to something else by him. Tension would disappear. It was a knack he always had. He'd go to the ends of Gaia to keep himself entertained. And it was still 'fun-with-Tifa' mode. For that night, they stayed apart no matter how agonizing it was.

Even though he had that guilt clawing in him, the thrill of having _fun_ was greater.

The next morning, Tifa found herself waking up next to nobody. After checking up all the rooms, she found nobody. Reno had left for work early and she was alone.

"That brazen cheek of his," she muttered as she got ready for breakfast.

For the whole day she practically busied herself with house chores and getting her bar ready. And for that day, she didn't see that redhead flitting or hiding somewhere she could easily guess. There wasn't even a single trace of him anywhere within the premises of Seventh Heaven.

And for the night, she would sleep her anger out, not aware of the lamp being switched off but did sense the presence she so much cherish every night appear but never did make the move to close the distance between them in any effective way.

All she could whisper before dozing off was, "I hate you." That was the second time.

He would vanish the next morning.

The third night was also like that. Reno's patience lasted only for three _days_. The night of the third day, he couldn't take it anymore. Tifa was playing this game too well for him. She ignored him, he ignored her, and she ignored him back. He had been meaning to avoid the apology session of the spider issue (followed with what could be a thrashing to let her anger out) and just go straight at making _her_ apologize to him if he voiced out his _loneliness_.

Messing with her brain was another of his mastered skills. For entertainment purposes. Not that he'd mind working up a little sweat now and then with her, but Tifa could pack a mean punch if anger got the best of her.

Prehistoric Monster Syndrome.

That one thing he could never understand, never wanted to. But all that mattered to him now was … her. Reno brought himself closer to her, snaking his arm across her flat stomach and another found its way under her weight and he clasped his hands together at the end. He flung his leg over hers in a relaxed way.

…_what? _Tifa slightly panicked when she had felt his arms were suddenly around her. "Re…no?"

"Mmh…" he replied groggily, shifting around until he was comfortable with Tifa in his arms. "Stay."

Like she could get away in that position. She was now his teddy bear. A probably useless one for she could only shiver at his constantly lingering warm breath and his touch.

Reno turned her so that she was facing him. "Hey, Teef."

"Yeah?"

"If I say I'm sorry, will you apologize too?"

Tifa shot her eyebrows up. "Huh?" _Apologize for what?_ All she could think was Reno was the guilty party there. The spider. After a brief silence, Reno opened his mouth to speak rather hesitantly his apology.

"Sorry I ignored you."

"Got a taste of your own medicine, no?" Tifa chuckled in mirth hearing Reno said that in an adorable, almost-stuttering way. Having that high wall of arrogance peeled once in a while was refreshing to her.

"Tifa Lockhart," he said sternly. "You _know_ what you're playing along with."

"Alright. I'm sorry I ignored you too. And you're forgetting something else," she huffed.

"Really, I don't remember anything of the sort."

"Liar," she muttered.

"You'll smile."

"Oh, I know I will and I'm doing it now," she said rather acidly and flashed him a bland grin which Reno ignored completely.

"… And you'll laugh," he added, still not releasing his grip on her, almost making it sounded like a promise.

"I'd like to see you try," she fumed. Reno was clearly wasn't going to apologize about the spider.

"I'd _love_ to see you try too."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. The one who laughs first loses and the winner could demand anything from the loser."

After a momentary pause, Tifa relaxed her frown and nodded confidently. "Challenge accepted."

His face lit up as he smirked at her, adding his thoughts, "It's a deal then." That smirk didn't get unnoticed by Tifa, obviously.

"You smiled!" she gasped.

"Smiles or anything associated don't count, Teef."

"Oogh!" Tifa pouted as soon as she had let that small raged sound out. Reno had to stop his small chuckle from surfacing or he would lose hands down. "I _hate_ you!" Third one in the same night.

"Oh, _do_ you?" … and he would have to force a snicker to a halt. She had no idea that all her little outbursts were enough to make him laugh quietly on a normal day. That night, he didn't feel lonely and he wasn't even lonely – the same could be said for Tifa.

_Tomorrow_, she mouthed before surrendering to the sudden drowsiness.

- - -

"What is this?" Tifa asked after finding her voice. As soon as she stepped down, she was greeted with cans of…beer all over the counter.

"Beer," Reno deadpanned as he took a swig.

"I can see that." Tifa nodded with a frown.

Reno happily guided her to sit with him. "Sooo, you'll have to join me. Part of the deal, sweetheart."

_Deal._ She didn't remember that beer was included. Moreover, where the heck did he got all those? For a moment, she had wondered that and Reno answered her inner questions with, "They're mine. See that Shinra insignia? My stash." Tifa stared at the packs which were filled with 'All Reno's' scrawling in a red marker pen all over. Needless to say, she suppressed laughter from bubbling out of her lips and just made a forced smile.

After settling down, she asked "Okay. So what's the occasion?"

"Just drink." Reno handed her a can and she had to accept it, seeing that he had already opened it for her. After a few sips, she motioned for him to continue whatever it was in his head. "Let the contest begin," he said after gulping the very last bit of his first beer.

"So now it's a contest?"

Reno nodded and _pshht_ went another opening can in his hands. "Exactly. This is a belching contest."

Tifa's jaw dropped. "No way."

"Yes way," Reno grinned. "Finish that. Or do you want me to mouth feed you?"

"I can drink perfectly well on my own, so no thank you."

Tifa gulped down the currently tasteless tingly drink, which she never expected to be her breakfast. Reno was a man who loved alcohol, and probably made out of one himself too. Tifa was neither of those things.

No sooner had she depleted a fraction of hers, she noticed Reno had his victory smirk on his face.

Reno burped.

Tifa spurted out her current sip all over his face.

Reno wiped his face off calmly. "That was … _graceful_, Tifa Lockhart." He was examining her red face, wondering how long she could hold her laughter as Tifa clutched her stomach.

"About as graceful as this—"

Tifa's turn to let out hers, a tad bit longer than his or no difference at all. Both of them locked gazes onto each other, grabbing their respective drinks. After a split second, the game began, which differed in range and style. They were that messed up.

- - -

"No, I am not laughing!" Tifa yelled from inside. "Not before you do!"

"I've made my mind to make you laugh _before_ doing so myself," Reno replied with a hint of his arrogant smirk in that sentence.

"Argh! I _hate_ you!"

"There's that word again. The fourth one. Don't bark. You sound like that hyperactive ninja princess…"

"I beg to differ. I was just getting my point across!"

_What are they doing? _Yuffie drummed her elbow with her opposite hand and tapped her foot in a mixture of impatience and curiosity. She came on that specific day to show off her latest collection of materia but the constant bickering was clear as day and she could hear them from her spot.

"Tifaaa—"

A loud monstrous growl emitted from inside made Yuffie peel her eyelids and she pushed the door open. She was greeted by the reek of alcohol and the sight of the messy couple; each had a can of something in their hands.

"Oh my gawd! Drinking for breakfast, you two?"

"He made me." Tifa sniffled and made a dejected face and swirled the contents in her can and she pointed at him. "I hate _you_."

"Oh, I did not. You agreed, reeefuuuh." Reno had practically burped out her name. Tifa flung herself unto the younger woman's shoulders, holding her in a strong grip.

"That was…" Yuffie's voice trailed off, snickering.

"…priceless, don't you think? If only I have something to record that with…" Tifa continued, slightly muffled. Yuffie faced the fighter, carefully peeling her hands off and stared pointedly at the grinning Reno who was smug as ever. Tifa started humming and waving her hand in front of Reno's face.

"Explain this," she asked whoever was the most sober at that time.

"Contest," they both shot her.

"I want to make him laugh."

"I aim to make _her_ laugh before I do."

Yuffie frowned. "Laugh together, then." She opened herself a can. "Ugh. Is this thing expired?"

"Nu-uh. You're just a newbie drinker, Yuff," Tifa interjected.

"Tell you what, I dare you to moon over Reno," Yuffie grinned. The reason why she was there in the first place was evaporating fast. _Something about materia_. Steal or show, she didn't remember.

"No! That'll just make _you_ laugh! Why are you even here anyways?"

Yuffie looked at one of the corners of her eyes. "Materias. I've come to … do something about that. Gawd, if you two weren't such a distraction, I would've remembered! You two were so loud having you lovers' quarrel in this morning…" Yuffie spotted that small, metallic box on a shelf Tifa had always mentioned as her materia box.

Yuffie by now had _completely _forgotten as of why she was there. _Materias ..._ was all she could think of._  
_

"We are _not_ fighting," Tifa retorted, a scowl clearly imprinted on her face.

"That's what you think," Yuffie laughed. "Now go make up."

"Like she said, we're not fighting," Reno said, getting up from his seat knowingly, walking over to the box Yuffie had eyed earlier. "Keep your eyes off this."

Yuffie gulped. Reno had read her movements easily. "Ehem. As I _said_, go make up or else I'll steal all your materias," she said, exiting suddenly with an echoing slam.

_No way was she going to. She still has more to learn._ Or so they thought. As they opened the box where Tifa had safely kept their materias, a piece of white paper flew out and the box, empty.

'_All your materia are belong to us._

_p.s. Never underestimate Wutai's Yuffie Kisaragi_.'

That small piece of paper was decorated with ridiculous amounts of flowers and one of them had an arrow pointing to it with the words "This flower called Yuffie will stab you with shurikens if disobeyed."

"Yuffie…" They laughed helplessly together, holding onto each other, unable to understand why they did. When they noticed that they were laughing together, they gradually silenced. _"Laugh together, then."_ They had underestimated that ninja whom they were now forever grateful to; else they would carry their vendetta for so long. There was no winner or loser in this.

"It's a draw," Tifa said, clinging onto him. "We'll get it later from her."

Reno nuzzled his face on her neck, relishing the contact and her scent. "I missed you."

Tifa nodded and patted his head softly, chuckling to herself. "We're together since … last night."

"I know."

"So how can that apply when—"

"I missed touching you," Reno pointed out. "Don't you?"

"I do," Tifa agreed, grinning as felt up to his sides, tickling him so suddenly, making him jerk away. They were both ticklish, she remembered.

"Hey." Reno caught both her wrists and pinned her to the door behind her, feeling her soft curves on him as he lowered his head so that their foreheads gingerly touched each other. "…ry." His voice almost cracked that it came out as a whisper.

Tifa looked dubious, staring into his eyes. Did she just hear what she thought it was? An apology? "What?" Tifa demanded, obviously raising her eyebrows.

"As much as how guilty I felt, I'm _not sorry_ for dropping that spider on your lap."

"What? Re—" She was cut off by Reno's searing kiss – a kiss so deep which he had missed for the past few days. And during that period, he remembered Tifa had said 'I hate you' five times in very different strengths – from really meaning it to just … annoyance. They parted, leaving her breathless and dazed. Never mind the alcohol.

"You know, the look on your face now makes me want to have more." Having that said, he assaulted her again.

"… You think you're so good," she managed between breaths.

"All I know I'm beyond godly, babe."

She shot him the look, trying to appear intimidating but all Reno could see was the intense glare he always loved receiving from her. "Insufferable man… I hate…" Another kiss halted her sentence. "…you," she finished. The sixth one.

"Is there anything else you hate about me?" Reno feigned confusion as he peered to find her gaze. Tifa blurted out without even stammering or stumbling on her words, with the unknown confidence she had.

"I hate how you always make me blush just by staring at you, how you made me feel weak inside, how your presence is enough to make my heart beating faster, how you made me love you – I hate everything about you." She blinked at what she had just said. It was almost like her first confession but in contradictory terms. _Wait, did I – No _way_. It's the alcohol, it's the alcohol, it's the alcohol…_

Reno chuckled quietly and pushed her hair behind her ear, taking in the sight of her blushing maddeningly that he wouldn't mind kissing her senseless again. "Heh. Me too, lovely."

Before he even got the chance to capture her lips, Tifa had trailed her hands to his sides and began tickling him in revenge and satisfaction, seeing Reno laugh out loud.

After the hectic morning and the calm that followed, she knew that was her …

… _Achievement._ She won. Reno had laughed and was laughing still. She joined his breathless laughing spree with her delighted giggles, torturing him. Soon, they began the tickling game until their sides ached. She had wondered why any of them didn't think of that before. Maybe it was the alcohol.

They were, _indeed_, ticklish. Ticklish equals instant laughing.

She knew both of them wouldn't be working tomorrow. Forcing him about the spider would have to wait. Because she 'hated' him, and because that's what she would demand from him – an apology.

.

.

* * *

_a/n_: I'm too tired to edit anymore and there might be some errors and whatnot… Again, it happened: I went off on a tangent. (If I say I have _no idea_ where I was going with this, you'd probably say: …_WHAT_.) I kept redoing it… I realized there were gaps everywhere and I hate it. Haha, fever's gone now. Sorry it's lengthy and late. I had a letter to type. I think this was clearly wanted as cough-humor-cough but haha you know. Fail. D':


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